From cisin@xenosoft.com Wed Dec 24 15:04:31 2008
From: cisin@xenosoft.com
To: test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org
Subject: [personal] Re: PDF datasheets (was Re: Sources for 8b TTL
 keyboards(Keytronics))
Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:04:31 -0800
Message-ID: <20081224123644.G90174@shell.lmi.net>
In-Reply-To: <002f01c965b0$f9a1a6a0$961ca8c0@mss.local>
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> > I wish that I knew a good way in HTML to express offsets from beginning
> > of a document.

On Wed, 24 Dec 2008, Mike Hatch wrote:
> It is a variant of the <a href= tag
> To another page it would be <a href="pagename.htm">, for a position in that
> page it would be <a href="pagename.htm#position">, where 'position' is a tag
> in that page <a name="position">.

Yes, you can ADD 'position's to get a form of symbolic labeling.
That is a very useful feature for identifying positions within your own
files.  (Although it left a bit to be desired when implementing full
indices.  That is only for before-the-fact access.

I don't own every website that I reference.  In some of my indexing
projects, instead of storing both a URL AND a file offset, I would like
a URL that dereferences to an offset within the file, such as
"notice the wording where he says 'xxx' (684 bytes into that file)".
http://www.foo.bar/RFC.html*684
(where '*' is some unique punctuation provided for in the HTML spec)
"Dear webmaster, is that a type at xxxx.html/*yyy ?"


Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, the current implementations of HTML
(and SGML?) do not provide an "offset" operator.  If I am wrong, please
tell me!  It took me weeks to find <pre></pre> to be able to do
non-proportional ASCII art, and to be able to create websites that discuss
HTML.

Inclusion of an "offset operator" would permit handing a URL to somebody
and having THEIR browser take them to the desired location within the
file, WITHOUT edit rights to the file.

It would permit creating an index to a document WITHOUT requiring
annotation of the original, nor captive environment for display.
The pointers within the index could then be actual access URLs
"RFC.html*684"  or http://www.foo.bar/RFC.html*684
I do not like providing a proprietary viewer that must be used to be able
to see the referenced items within the file.


BTW, I do NOT see variations in word size or character set, as being
relevant.

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